Signal device for vehicles



Fb. 3, 1931. M. s. sluj ETAL 1,790,847

SIGNAL DEVICE FOR VEHICLES Filed Jan. 11, 1930 A T'TORNEY crib which:

Patented Feb; 3, 1931 f UNITED ST TES emcee s. SILVA, or n'ncorn, we ANTONE JQ ROBERTS; or newline; camronnm f Y sreNA DEVICE FOR vmrcms.

. Application; and :antarymmso. "Serial rim-420,098.];

The invention relates to a signal device for vuse on a vehicle to indicate to persons not on the vehicle intended changes in. the direction orrate of motion of the vehicle.

115 object of the invention is to provide for V asi'gnificantyieWing-r of a single signal elewent from a-maxlmum number of directions withrespectto the,vehiclewhich carries it;

Amore specific object'jof theinvention is to provide a signal means for direct viewing by a person positioned laterally of the path of -the Vehicle whereby-said person may be positiyely-advisedof an intended turn of the vehicle to his side of saidpathg f {Another objectoftheinvention pro vide aparticularly. simple and improved structure for asi'gna-ldevice of'the class de- The invention possesses other obj sets; and

7 9 features of advantage, some of whichpwith the foregoing,twill be set forth or beapparentinthelollowing description of one embodiment of-the invention which is illus;

trated. in "the accompanyingdrawings", in

;--Fig:1 T 1' is a rear end 'view of atypical formof thedevice. I

{,Figure 2-is1 anaxial and yertical section of the structure shownaportioniota trans- 30 parent tubular element thereof beingbroken away to show certain parts therewithirr Figure 3-is' a transverse section taken as at 3 3 in Figure2.

vent-ion is .embo died in a structure primarily comprising anasse nbly of three transparent tubular members 5; 6 and 7 fixed in mutually parallel relation between transparent plate 40 in which to; house electric lamps 1 -1 01 other sourcesjof light; Each of thetr'ansparent lamp housings; thus j cooperatively provided by the tubes and'plates-isarranged to functhe signals thusprovided for being appro p riately differentiated whereby said signals may be oi? difierentj sig'ni ficances,'each'of said signals beingvi-sible laterally of the tubular members, as well as axially thereof,-andf;rom oppositedirections; Conveniently, and as 'n'utlorthebolt. I I, I I N The lampsll-l, it will'fnow be noted, are

I As particularly illustrated, the present-in members 8 and '9" whereby to definecavities tiona's a signal when: a lamp is lit therein,

shown, the tubular 5, 6 i i} I formedas sections'of circular tubing having and 9 are utilized as cla-mp members forse-t curing the-tube members in their relatively fixed relat on to each fotherg Accordingly;

i d eee ew illh se efij 'i Plate, s faces "are recessed to receive the tube ends in fitted engagement therewith wliereby lateral d splacements of the tubes; from their posi;

tions in the assembly is positively preven ed; Preferablytjthe tube membersiare tangential 'lyengaged in the assembly whereby they define. a prismoi dal space 12betweeii them a'i'id between the "plates 8 and 9; Eachfof the lat- I ter plates i s perforated axially of the space 12 to-permit the ,engagementof a clamp bolt 13 therethrough and through jsaid f5 head ioijsaid bolt engaging e outer face.

or the plate s i while the threeaa belt eini.

threadedly eh'gage's in; a disc lh fnber wl l which in turnengags the outerffac'eofthe plate 9;;; m this manner, an assembly is pie,- vided in which th e tube's and plates' aregrig'id- I 1y related toprovidefa ni'ultiplesignal Considering the bolt andTdisc ,laiiip means; the I disc is understobditosco'iriprise"a mounted in sockets15 are ifi tu'iii car;

ried on supportingar ns l6v extending inc p wardlyfr0m the ;fac offthe disc 14am within the various tubes. Preferahly'fland as shown, the arms 16 comprise the segments of alongitudinally slit cylindrical tube 17 extending axially from the disc- 14- and.

With each slit 18 between the-arm's" 16 there of receiving abutting wallpoftions of the transparent tubes,cthe relation being particularlyjbr ought out in Figure-3.. "The bolt-m ceiving perforation in plate] it is noted, is made large enough to receivethe'tube' l7, andfthe cy1i-n dric lateral curyatur'eoiitlie 16 stiflens 'tliein to'a'refqiii'red.degree'f r S p in the o ke'f f i 7 1 tl r" v' i c fi, said sockets extendinglradially of the'bolt axis; The specific secret anai a 'p str'u'cture is i material to.thepresent 'inventioii;

the tube 5 is uppermost.

tending radially from-the disc lt'and a flat and perforatedend portion 23 for fixing to a supporting portion ofapvehiele (not shown) The tubular'portion 22 is arranged to receive thewires 19 therethrough and is shown as integral with the disc'l i. It is'to be un-- derstood, however, that the specific form ofbracket which carries" the signal assembly through the disc 14 is generally immaterial to the presentinvention. Preferably, the

tube 17, disc 14, and bracket 21 are metallic whereby they provide a eommon'eonduetor to the various lamps ll 'and but a single wire 19 is requiredfromfeaeh lamp socket for providing operatively' independent circuits for the various lamps, said cireuitseaoh inof electrieal p'ower' (not shown).

The various signals provided [by the as sembly are arranged to be primarily differentiated'interms of color, 'andthe device-may be used'with equal readiness on lander water or air-borne vehicles:- For land-borne and dirigible vehicles such as automobiles, the disposition is preferablygthat{shown wherein the tubes'5,'6; and '7' are-horizon eluding a switch (not shown) and-a source I tally disposed andthe end plates 8' and 9 are arranged to respectively face rearwardly and forwardly ofthe line of'movement of the vehicle. Furthermore, .twofofthe tubes are at the same'level, thethird tube being either above or below said level; as shown, The portions of the plates 8 and 9 beyond the tubes are shaped as may be desired; asshown, these plates closely follow the sectional outline of the assembly of the three tubes whereby'the outline of a three-leaf clover is suggested. For effecting the aforesaid color differentiation in the signal, the tubes and end plates may be of diiferent and appropriate colors.

As shown,the transparent tubes 5, 6 and 7 are respectively colored red, orange and green, said tubes being of glass or some other sufficiently stiff transparent material. Since to follow out the aforesaid color scheme, different portions of the plates 8 and 9 would be difierently colored, it will. generally be preferable to formzthese plates ofunc'olored glass, or thelike, and to interpose appropriately colored discs 25 between the tube being that of coloring the plates themselves If desired, symbols indicating the significance of the different signals may be provided on the plates and/or tubes; as shown, symbols 26 are defined on the plates 8 and 9 opposite the ends of the different tubes whereby a person viewing the device from the front or rear of the vehicle is advised that the red upper signal indicates a stop or Y slowing down of the vehicle, the orange leftside signal indicates a left turn for'the vehicle and-the green right-side signal indicates a right turn for the vehicle.

While thepresent assembly is such as to be generally watertight against rain, drainage for any moisture which may get into the tubes-is preferably provided for. As shown at27 in Figure 2-, thelower rim portionof the color disc 25 of the tube 5 and at the plate 8 is notched'to' provide a drainage'pas- 'sage- Drainages from the lower signal tubes is provided by 'notching the lower discs at 28 and providing channels 29 in the plate-faces at the ends of the tubes 6'an-d 7,1this feature beingshown i'n'Figure 3. 1 i

The-present device isjunderstood to beapplicable to air-borne vehicles, a red signal being then given to indicate an upward 'or downward movement of-"the vehiole in aceor'dance'with the direction from which the vehicle is viewed; Thel provision of the righta'nd left-turn signals for lateralviewing is seen to be particularly valuableforadvisi'ng person's positionedlaterally of a vehicle as to the intentions o'f'the'driver of the vehicle respecting hisdire'etion ofprogress,

the usualhandsignals beinggenerally least visiblefrom a lateral direction and crossing collisions frequently resultingfrom the lat terfact. To prevent an illumination of one signal of the'device' by the light from another, the interiors of the various tubes=5, 6 and 7 are partially coveredwith a coating 31 of an" opaque paint or other covering material extending around their generally inner portions'whereby .the light from a given lamp 11 willilluminate but the one' signal which it is intended to illuminate. i

I Fromfhe "foregoing description taken i connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of theconstruction and method of operationwill'be readily understood by those skilled in theart to which the invention appertains, and while we have described-the principle of operation, together with the device which we now'eonsider to be the best embodiment thereof, we desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made, when-desired, as fall within the-scope of the appended claim.

'Havin'gj-thus described our inventi0n,'we claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States the following: ends and their 'seats'on the plates, the effect In a signal device of the class described, a

plurality of independent and like tubular elements arranged in symmetric and parallel V relation to a common axis, plate elements of transparent material engaging corresponding ends of said tubular elements for retaining the same in said relation, mutually engaged bolt and nut members cooperative v with said plate elements to efiecta clamped I Hi) engagement of said tubular elements between them, arms extending axially from said nut member and Within said tubular elements, sources of light mounted on said arms Within said tubular elements, and a bracket carryin said nut member. 7 V V 7 in testimony, whereof we afiix our slgna- 

